Valve-operating mechanism



2 Sheets-Sheet Sept. 25, 1928.

F A WHITTEN VALVE OPERATING MECHANISM Filed April 1, 1927 Patented Sept.25, 1928.

UNITED STATES FRANK A. WHITTEN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TOAMERICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY MOTORS COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ACORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

VALVE- OPERATING MECHANISM.

Application filed April 1,

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate thepreferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown anddescribed, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof withinthe scope of the claims will occur to persons skilled in the art.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view,

taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2, with parts broken away; r

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of my improved exhaust heatervalve operating mechanism and having parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view illustrating a crank handleassociated with the valve operating mechanism; and

Fig. 4 1s a horizontal sectional view, taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

My invention relates to exhaust heater 5 valves, and has particularreference to anoperating mechanism therefor.

The invention has for its principal ob]ect the provision of an exhaustheater valve opcrating mechanism, wherein a plurality of valves areactuated either to open or closed position simultaneously, and are soarranged as to compensate for one valve moving in advance of "anotherand thereby cause all of them to move in synchronism.

A further object of the invention is to provide a valve mechanism ofthis character which is compact, simple in construction, and which isfree from vibrationeven though the valves are in a partly open position.

' Referring to the invention in detail, the numerals 5 and 6 designate apair of internal combustion engine exhaust pipes for com munication withmufiiers 7 by means of casings 8. Supported transversely on each ofthese casings 8 and communicating therewith, is a passageway orconduit'9, with the outer end of each of which a branch pipe 10communicates, the latter leading to ex-' haust heaters (not shown) of anautomobile.

A valve 11 is provided in each of the casings 8 to direct the passagesofexhaust gases either to the mufflers or branch pipes 10. As shown inFigure 2, these valves are fixed to rock shafts 12 journaled in thecasings 8, and the 1927. Serial N0. 180,184.

of the exhaust pipes 5 and 6. -A bell-crank lever 18 is pivoted to thebracket 15 as at 19. A longitudinally movable actuating rod 20 has itsforward end pivotally connected to the lower end of the bell-crank lever18 as at 21, while its opposite end carries a yoke or clevis 22. Atransverse equalizer bar 23 extends horizontally through the yoke orclevis and is supported therein for pivotal movement about a verticalpin 24 passing through the clevis or yoke. Normally parallel arms orlevers 25 are fixed to the projectingends of the rock shafts 12 and havetheir upper ends pivotally engaging the extremities of the equalizer bar23.

Countersunk in a recess 26 in the automobile fiooring 16 in verticalalinement with the lateral leg of thebell-crank lever 18, is a socket27, having a central opening 28 in its bottom. A vertically arrangedadjusting screw 29 passes through the opening 28 and is formed with anannular shoulder 30 resting upon the bottom of the socket 27 to retainthe screw 29 against movement in a downward direction. A stop washer 32is received on the screw slightly below the socket and serves to retainthe former against upward movement, the stop washer being held inposition by lock nuts 33 engaged with the screw. As shown in Figure4,.the lateral leg of the bell-crank lever 18 is formed with a pair ofparallel ears 34 in which a cylindricalmember 35 is journaled. Thismember 35 is formed with an interiorly threaded vertical bore 37 throughwhich the bolt 29 passes and engages. A rectangular head 39is formed onthe upper end of the screw 29 and is adapted to be engaged by adetachable crank handle 40 when it is desired to'rotate the bolt andhence actuate the valves 11.

closure 42 is normally received in a countersink 43 in an upper edge ofthe socket, and has downwardly and thereby hold the closure within thecountersink 43. A recess 518 is formed in one side of the seeket topermit the one end pivotally engaged with a vertical A at 53 to partofthe automobile. Due to the arrangement of the springs 50 and 52,tension is exerted in opposite directions, whereby the movable parts,particularly the valves 12, are at all times held stationary and freefrom vibration. Not only is vibration eliminated 7 when the valves areopen or closed, but also when thevalvesare in partly open position.

When it is desired to actuate the valves to a position to establishcommunication between the exhaust pipes and their mufllersand severcommunication between the exhaust pipes and branch pipes 10, the screwis rotated by means ofthe crank handle 40, to rock the bellcrank lever18, operating the rod 20 to the 1 dot-ted line position. 'When it isdesired to establish communication between the exhaust pipes and branchpipes 10, the valves are actuated tothe position shownin Figure l by.rotating the screw in the reverse direction. will be observed that thevalve can be adjusted to a partly open position by r0- ,tating-the screwto dispose thevalves at a predetermined point. As heretofore mentioned,the levers 25 secured to the rock shafts 12 have their opposite endspivotally connected to the equalizer bar 23. This construction has beenadopted for the purpose of providing a certain amount of relativemovement'between the rock shafts 12 to compens ate for differences intension -of the springs whereby the valves 11 will be each forced tofully closed or open position, and it will-be apparent that if the lever18 isajctuated to place the valves 11 infully open position as shown inFigure 1, and the tenslon of the springs 50 is not equal, one of thevalves 7 will reach fully open position in advance of its companionvalve. The equalizer barwill have assumed aniangular position. Furtheractuation of the'leve'r Wlll cause the other valve to assume fully openposition because of the equalizer bar.23.- The same operation will-occurto seat thevalves in fully closed connecting said. valves, a leverpivoted inter- V mediate itsfends andhaving operative engage- 'Inentwiththe connecting means, and a manm 'allyoper-able threaded elementengaging the {lever to adjust the latter about its pivot and therebysimultaneously actuate the valves.

. ing lever for each valve,

2. In a valve actuating mechanism, a plurality of pivoted valves movablein the same plane and operatively connected together for simultaneousadjustment, a lever pivotally supportedintermediateits ends, anop'erating rod pivotally connected with the lever and having operativeengagement with the valves, member loosely carried by one end of thelever and having a threaded bore, and an adjusting screw supportedadjacent the lever actuating rod, an equalizer bar pivotally car- 1 riedby the actuating rod and having its-ends pivotally connected with thearms, and manually operable meansfor moving the actuating rod in alongitudinal direction to rock the arms and thereby adjust the valves. I

5. In a valve actuating mechanism, a plurality of pivoted valves movablein parallelism, parallel arms fixed to thevalves, an actuating rod, anequalizer bar pivotally carried by the actuating rod and having its endspivotally connected with the arms, manually operable means for movingtheactuating rod in a longitudinal direction to rock the arms andthereby adjust the valves, and counterbalancing springs connected withthe arms and actuating rod for retaining the movable parts againstvibration. V,

6. In a valve actuating mechanism, a plurality of pivotal-lysupportedvalves, parallel arms fixed to the valves, a longitudinally movablevalve actuating rod, an equalizer bar pivotally carried by the valveactuating rod and having its ends pivotally engaged with the arms, amanually operable leverconnected with the actuating rod, andcounterbalancin-g springs connected with the arms and lever respectivelyto normally retain the movable parts against vibration. I,

7. In combination, a pair of valve assem blies each having a valvetherein, an operata common controller for. operating both valves, meansfor adjusting the position or the controller to position said valves,andopp'ositely' acting resilient means connectedto the operating leversand adjusting meansrespectively for resiliently retaining the-valves andadjusting means in predetermined position. q

V 7 8. In combination, a pair of valve assemblies each having a valvetherein, an operating lever for each assembly, resilient means connectedto each lever for normally urging the valves to seated position, acommon controller for said valves, adjusting means operative through thecontroller for positioning said valves against the tension of theresilient means, and a second resilient means connected to saidadjusting means and functioning in opposition to the first namedresilient means to balance the tension exerted by the latter whereby toresiliently mount the valves and the operating mechanism therefor.

9. In combination, a plurality of valves, resilient means for each valvefor normally urging the latter to closed position, an actuating lever, abar pivotally connecting said- In witness whereof I have hereunto set my20 hand.

' FRANK A. WHITTEN.

